A holiday table of a different color

When I was growing up, holiday meals always took place at tables set with beautiful china. My mom, the grandmothers, the aunts — no matter who hosted the family dinner it was served on great dishes. As I've said many times before, those experiences turned me into a dish junkie. Today I have my grandmother's gold-bordered service, which I just used at Thanksgiving, as well as a set of antique dinner plates with a wide red band dripping with gold curliques. They are my usual go-to choices for December dinner parties.

Last December, when we hosted friends for dinner, I made Afro-Brazillian fish stew and it needed to be served in bowls. That necessitated re-thinking everything because my big soup bowls are blue and white. But I think I managed to create a holiday feel without going all red and green, which I try to avoid everywhere but in my red room. 

I used little plexiglass napkin holders, that are actually vases, with a sprig of evergreens for a Christmassy touch and silky plaid napkins for a bit of glam. The placemats are some kind of straw which also has a bit of a sheen. 

Our wooden Italian putti is in the corner shedding a little candlelight. More candles are on the table along with a big bowl of dried pomegranates, pomanders and assorted ornaments. 

I won't be able to recreate this setting again this December because Mark never liked those napkins: too thin and too slippery according to him. So this fall they were relegated to my bin of supplies for textile projects. They definitely have a lot of potential in that area! 

Comments

[Susan Adler Sobol]

When I saw the first photo, I thought the plaid napkins were a brilliant but subtle way of bringing in the traditional Christmas colors to your table. There is also something wonderful about the sheen of the fabric - that adds a contrasting and glamorous texture to the place mats. Love the look! But... I agree with Mark -- I prefer the feel of cotton or linen. Would it be silly to add a cotton napkin under the plaid?
On another note.... are your whimsical toys part of this years Christmas decor? Loved when you posted about them a few years back!
Wishing you and Mark a happy and healthy 2016!
All the best, Susan

[Lisa at Greenbow]

It sure made a beautiful table. If I had room to store more dishes I would have many more too. I don't know where I got my love of dishes. Noone in my family has that quirk. It is fun to me.

[Linda from Each Little World]

Hi Susan, so nice to hear from you. I really do agree with you and Mark that cotton or linen napkins feel and work much better. Had not thought about pairing those shiny ones with a second pair but that might be kind of fun. And yes, the toys are out in the red room and the teddy bears are on a chair in our bedroom. This year one of my sisters-in-law did a display of her toys which was lots of fun to see.

[Linda from Each Little World]

Lisa — you should be glad you don't have the room to store too many dishes. Storage space is a curse as much as a blessing. And yes, I am the only one of my siblings to have the dish thing as well.

[Loree / danger garden]

My favorite thing about this table-scape is that you've pushed the tall "centerpiece" items to the end. This way you can go crazy with the height and not impede conversation. Very smart!

[Linda from Each Little World]

Loree — ​Our first house was a Victorian with high ceilings and now we live in a ranch house from 1954. What this means is my favorite candlesticks are too tall to go under the dining room light safely. So I move them to the end of the table for the reasons you mentioned as well as safety.